US Secretary of Defence urges Ukraine not to attack Russian refineries
10 April 2024 09:53
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has said that Ukraine should focus on military objectives rather than Russian oil refineries. He said this at a meeting of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, Komersant ukrainskyi 
citing Bloomberg.
The US minister said directly that such attacks affect the global energy balance.
“These attacks could have consequences for the global energy situation. Ukraine is better off going after tactical and operational targets that can directly affect the battlefield,” Austin said,
– austin said.
These words were immediately condemned by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who accused the Biden administration of obstructing Ukraine’s effective actions for political reasons.
“It seems to me that the Biden administration doesn’t want gas prices to go up in an election year,” Cotton said,
– Cotton said.
Instead, Austin reiterated the administration’s request to Congress to approve additional military assistance to Ukraine. He stressed that such assistance also provides jobs for American workers by increasing defence production in the US. More than $50 billion in additional national security assistance will be distributed to more than 30 states, Austin said.
The Financial Times first reported that the United States was calling on Ukraine to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries on 22 March. The article stated that Washington had repeatedly sent calls to the GRU and the SBU to stop attacks on Russian refineries.
Read also:
Analysts see no connection between strikes on Russian refineries and oil prices
Oleksandr Okhrimenko: Ukraine must destroy Russian refineries
Russia forced to cut diesel exports by sea after attacks on refineries - Bloomberg
